Dear Editor,
Many rice farmers in Region 2 run the risk of losing their crops. This is due to an imminent water shortage spawned by poor water management practices and the failure of officials to use the pumps at Dawa to replenish the water level in the conservancy.
In Region 2 the water supply has always been mismanaged. When the rain falls and there is excess water no mechanism is in place to store it. A lot of unauthorised individuals, some with immunity, tamper with regulators at their whims and fancies. The end result is that most of this water is regrettably ejected into the Atlantic Ocean.
In the past, especially during the PNC administration, water was pumped in the dry weather to maintain certain levels in the canals so that rice farmers can have adequate supplies in crisis moments. Today, however, with a caring government that vehemently assured the people of a brighter future for all, there seems to be, for the first time, a situation where the pumps would not be used and many farmers will lose their crop. At a time when farmers have experienced a tremendous increase in the cost of living and the cost of producing rice has gone up they can hardly afford to bear this financial tragedy.
It is our feeling that responsible officials of the administration are more interested in the contracts awarded and to be awarded – by the deluge of EU money than in serving the needs of the farmers, particularly in this moment of crisis.
Yours faithfully,
Barat Naipaul, Bridgelall, Basant Lall, Mohtie Lall and 46 other rice farmers
